Two men in the US have been charged with attempting to overthrow the President of The Gambia, Yahya Jammeh, the US justice department has said.

A coup was attempted in The Gambia on December 30, while Jammeh was abroad, but was foiled by guards at the Presidential Palace.

Federal prosecutors in the US charged Cherno Njie and Papa Faal with conspiring to carry out a coup and conspiring to possess firearms.

Both Njie, a 57-year-old housing developer and Faal, a former U.S. Army sergeant, are US citizens of Gambian origin.

Njie was said to have funded the attempted coup while Faal spearheaded the effort. According to a US criminal complaint, Njie had planned to serve as interim President of the Gambia if the coup had succeeded.

US Attorney General, Eric Holder said in a statement:

"The United States strongly condemns such conspiracies. With these serious charges, the United States is committed to holding them fully responsible for their actions.”

Jammeh seized power in 1994 and has been accused of being a dictator and manipulating elections in a bid to stay in power.

The president returned home soon after the coup attempt and accused dissidents based in the US, UK and Germany of being behind the attack.